First Encounter
by Fearless Swan
Summary: Sly meets another thieving raccoon. My first-ever fanfic! Rated PG for some mild language. Sly and all related characters are property of Sucker Punch Entertainment. Enjoy!


FIRST ENCOUNTER  
  
Sly Cooper and Andy Clark, the two most wanted thieves in the world. Both are quiet, charming young raccoons. Both steal primarily from wealthy criminals. Both are aided in their efforts by a gang of close friends.  
  
Each had heard of the other's exploits, but surprisingly, these two criminal masterminds had never actually met. But that is about to change.  
  
FOREST CITY, N.Y. - 3:30 A.M.  
  
Sly Cooper stood on the roof of the Forest City Expo Center, searching for some way to enter the building.  
  
The world's largest ruby awaited him inside. This would certainly make a nice addition to Sly's already impressive thieving resume. Little did he know, however, that another master thief had his own designs on said gem.  
  
Andy Clark could barely contain his excitement. The young ringtail was on his way to pull the biggest heist of his career, and the best thing about it is that it would all happen in his own hometown!  
  
So overtaken by excitement was he that he almost didn't notice the approaching police squad car. Fortunately, Andy regained his senses in time to dive into some bushes and avoid being spotted.  
  
"Take it easy, partner!", said the voice coming from his radio. "You almost got busted there!"  
  
"Yeah. Sorry. So stupid. I'm just so eager to pull this one off.", Andy replied.  
  
"We're all a little on edge here tonight, but you've got to get a grip on yourself. This heist ain't gonna be a picnic.", said his associate.  
  
"Don't worry, Tony. I've got my head straight now.", the raccoon said.  
  
"I hope so.", Tony responded.  
  
Just as he finished his conversation, Andy arrived at his destination, the Forest City Expo Center, an imposing fortress-like structure in the heart of the city.  
  
Andy ducked into a dark alleyway alongside the massive building. "I'm here.", he said softly into his radio. "Good.", replied Tony. "You should be able to go in right through the front door. But be careful. Security is tight!"  
  
"Gotcha.", Andy said. He crept up to the front entrance and took a small electronic device out of one of the compartments on his belt.  
  
He pointed it at the door, and with the push of a button, it unlocked as if by magic.  
  
Andy dashed inside, stopping just short of a security laser beam. He nimbly hopped over the beam and then unplugged the alarm system.  
  
Andy Clark now stood in the darkened main hall of the expo center. He spotted to security guards coming toward him and darted into a closet. "There's no one here. You must be imagining things.", he heard one of the guards say.  
  
Watching through his X-ray binoculars, he saw both guards disappear.  
  
Time to get to work, he thought as he emerged from the closet.  
  
The ruby was in the middle of the room, displayed in a glass case and surrounded by lasers. However, Andy stealthfully moved to the other end of the building.  
  
He quickly located the security control panel, and with a few button pushes, disarmed the laser alarm system. He knew the glass case itself was likely rigged with an additional alarm. The cunning raccoon was prepared for such an eventuality, though.  
  
Clark made his way back over to the display case containing the ruby. He produced a small gun from his belt and fired at the case, dissolving the glass with a blast of acid.  
  
The thief then grabbed the sparkling gem and placed it in his backpack. He placed his calling card where the ruby had been. That wasn't so hard, he thought as he once again made his way across the massive auditorium.  
  
There was a ladder in the back of the building. It led to an air duct, through which Andy would make his great escape and complete the greatest theft of his life.  
  
At last, Sly Cooper had found an entry to the expo center, an air duct at the far end of the massive building. As he approached the duct, he noticed something odd. The metal tubing was shaking!   
  
Just as Sly stepped back in fright, a raccoon wriggled out of the duct. Another thief! Damn!, Sly thought.  
  
The stranger brushed himself off, having not yet noticed Sly. Cooper stared in wonderment at the figure in front of him.  
  
Sly had heard rumors of a raccoon thief who operated in a similar manner to himself. Could this be that coon?  
  
The strange raccoon before him had to be at least six feet tall. He had light green eyes and looked to be a few years older than Sly himself.  
  
This thief was clad in a black sweatshirt, dark blue pants, and red high-top sneakers. He wore a red scarf about his neck. Sly couldn't help but notice the two guns at his side.  
  
Just then, the stranger noticed Sly and approached the fellow thief. "Well, if it isn't Sly Cooper.", he said, shaking the younger raccoon's paw. "I've always wanted to meet you. The name's Andy Clark.", he said before Sly could ask.  
  
"I suppose you came for this.", Andy said, producing the large ruby from his knapsack. "Ain't she a beauty?", Andy said. "But how--"' Andy cut Sly off before he could finish. "We'll chit-chat later." "Right now, we've got company!"  
  
Sure enough, two security guards, a fox and a bulldog, had spotted the two young thieves.  
  
Andy produced a small vial of some sort of chemical and tossed it in the direction of the guards. "This ought to slow them down.", Andy said as a smoke screen engulfed the two guards.  
  
The two raccoons leapt from the expo center roof onto the roof of a neighboring building.  
  
"Sly? Sly? You there?", inquired a nasal voice. "Yeah, I'm here.", Sly responded into his Binoc-U-Comm.  
  
"It looks like someone beat us to this one.", he continued. "What happened?" "I couldn't find a way into this freakin' place. I'm sorry.", Sly said.  
  
"Well, you'd better get back here.", replied his turtle friend. "Where are you anyway?" "I haven't a clue. Some guards spotted us and we had to flee."  
  
"We? There's someone with you?", the puzzled turtle inquired. "Yeah. I'm with the guy who stole the ruby. His name's Clark. He's a raccoon. Pretty friendly guy."  
  
"You two try and stay out of trouble. I'll try and find you somehow." "Don't worry about us, Bentley.", Sly responded.  
  
Just then, Andy's radio began to hiss and crackle. "Hello?", Andy said into it. "Where in the hell are you? Did you get the gem?", Tony said.  
  
"I'm on the roof of the Star Bank building. And yes, I have the ruby.", said Andy.  
  
"Okay. We'll come down there and pick you up.", Tony responded.  
  
"My guys can give you a ride back to yours.", Andy said to Sly, who nodded in agreement.  
  
The two then scaled down a fire escape to the street below. "So, tell me a little bit about yourself, Andy.", Sly said as they waited for Andy's friends to arrive.  
  
"Well, I live right here in Forest City, and I've been thieving for the last five years.", Andy said. "Like you, I steal mainly from criminals.", he continued. "I'm the leader of a gang called the Bridge Street Four." "Is there anything else you'd like to know?", he asked.  
  
"No. That's all.", said Sly. A black panel van pulled up to the two. "Well, here's our ride.", said Andy. "Can you wait just a minute? I've got to take care of some things before we go.", Andy asked as he entered the truck through the back doors.  
  
Andy emerged five minutes later. He now wore a T-shirt and shorts and his feet were bare. "You hid the ruby, didn't you?", Sly asked. "Yeah. So?", Andy responded.  
  
"My trust has to be earned, my friend.", he said. "And why the change of clothes?", Sly queried. "In case you haven't noticed, it's hotter than hell out here. Are we going to stand out here and play 20 questions all night or are we going to go? The sun's almost up!", Andy snapped back, as he hopped over the passenger seat and into the back of the van.  
  
"Sly Cooper?", asked the bear behind the wheel of the truck. "Yep.", Sly replied, astonished that this total stranger recognized him. "So, where are going?", asked the bear.  
  
"My getaway car's parked at Miller Avenue.", Sly answered. "You've got it. By the way, my name's Jake.", the bear said as he stepped on the gas and sped away.  
  
"This looks like a pretty nice place to live.", Sly said to Andy. "Yeah, I guess it is.", Clark replied.  
  
The truck stopped. They had arrived at Sly's van. "Thanks for the ride.", Sly said, exiting the truck. "Any time, pal", Andy said, climbing into the front seat.  
  
"You really ought to come visit me some time.", he continued, scrawling some information on to a small piece of paper. "I can show you around this crazy old town. Here's my phone number, street address, and e-mail. Guard this information with your life. I have many enemies, you know."  
  
"Thanks. I'll keep in touch, and I'll try to make it back here. Thanks once again. Bye!", Sly said as he entered his own car. Cooper's getaway van sped off into the darkness as Andy and his gang looked on.  
  
Andy looked at his watch. "It's almost sunrise. We'd better get home." "Way ahead of you, bro.", Jake said as he turned the van around. Andy smiled as he and his gang raced home to prepare for yet another adventure.  
  
THE END 


End file.
